Recipe(tried): Beef Stroganoff Dinner

Hello everyone - I hope your holidays have been enjoyable!

I thought I'd post my dinner for tonight, since it smells so good here in my kitchen right now. It has finally turned cold here, and stroganoff came to mind because I made homemade beef stock and it was in the fridge begging to be used.

I use beef chuck in this recipe because it is so tender after a long, low-temp braise, and cut it into large chunks (about 2"). The pieces can be cut to suit your taste, though.

I'm serving this with pasta (gemelli, because it was closest in shape to the spaetzle that I wanted to serve but couldn't find), buttered peas, and warm pumpernickle bread. I even have some creme puffs and ice cream in the freezer, and my homemade chocolate sauce which I will warm in the microwave (leftover from dessert on Christmas day) for dessert.

Beef Stroganoff
Serves 4-5

1 tablespoon hot paprika
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2-1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck (shoulder), cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, minced
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons brandy or Cognac
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups beef stock (or canned broth)
1/4 tsp. dried dillweed
1 lb. mushrooms, halved or quartered
1/3 cup thinly chopped dill pickle
2/3 cup sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 325 . Sprinkle 2 teaspoons each of the hot and sweet paprika on the meat and rub it in well. Season the meat with salt and pepper.

2. In a large oven-proof dutch oven or casserole, heat 1-1/2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the the meat cubes, turning, until well browned. Remove to a plate or bowl. Repeat with the remaining oil and meat and remove from pan.

3. Add the onions to the casserole and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, and the remaining 1 teaspoon each of hot and sweet paprika. Cook over low heat until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the Cognac and simmer for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high and slowly whisk in the beef stock until smooth.

4. Return the meat to the casserole with any accumulated juices and bring to a simmer. Add the dill, cover and bake the stroganoff in the oven for about 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

5. Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms over high heat until browning on the edges - don't cook until they are too soft though. Hold until ready to finish dish.

6. Remove the dish from the oven. Stir in the pickle and mushrooms (you can do all of this recipe up until this point ahead of time - bring to a simmer before continuing).

7. Return the casserole to the stove over low heat. In a bowl, whisk 1/2 cup of the hot cooking liquid into the sour cream. Stir the sauce back into the stroganoff and turn off the heat. Continue stirring until well blended.